Mechanical toy operated by gramophones



H. J. HASTINGS AND C. ST. V. SMITH. MECHANICAL T0 Y OPERAED BY GRAMOPHONES.

APPLICATION min SEPT. 2. 192|.

1 ,424,0 1 5 l Patented July 25, 1922.

EEEEEET JosErfr Easfrrnes En cEAEEEs sr. VINCENT siarrn, 0E EAST rwrcEENEAr/r, ENGLAND. f

MECEANICAIJKTOY OPERATED BY GRAMOPHONES.

inercia.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented July 25, i922,

Application filed'september 2, 1921.` Serial No. 498,030.`

To all w hom t may concern: i

Be it known that we, HERBERT JosErH A HAs'rINGs and CHARLES ST. VINCENT SMITH,

Vboth of 28- St. Stephens Gardens, East Twickenham, England, subjects'of the King of Great Britain, have invented certain new and useful lmprovements iny Mechanical Toys Operated by Gramophones,-for which we have led an application inv England'th January, 1920, Patent No. 160951 (No. 4103/20), of which the following is a specification. f

lThis invention relates to improvements in mechanical toys 'of the kind comprising an 'upright magnetized spindle mounted to revolve in bearings, a stationary table of nonmagnetic material through which the upper end of said spindle projects, an armaturek adapted to rest upon said'table and to be moved thereover as a result of magnetic attraction between the peripheral surfaces of the spindle and armature respectively, a figure carried by said armature so as to be rmoved thereby in accordance with thepeof the armature, and

ripheral configuration means for imparting rotary motion spindle. i

The object of the present invention is. to enable such a toy to be used incombination with a phonograph of the disc-record type, in such manner that rotation will be imparted to the magnetized 'spindle by, frictional transmission from the turntable which serves to carry and'rotate the phonographrecord, or, it may be, from the record itself; the invention being more particularly directed to providing 'a construction such that,

to the on the one hand, the frictional transmissiondevice will be'capable of self-adjustment tosuit turntables mounted to 'revolve at different levels relatively tothe top ofthe phonograph-casing whereon the toy as a whole rests, and that, on the other hand, the

the rotation'imparted to the magspeed of may be regulated at will in netized spindle 'order that the'figure carried by the armature may if desired be caused to perform movements in time with musical sounds produced by the phonograph.

The invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings,

lwherein Figure 11is an elevation, in section corresponding plan-view.` Figures 3 and l shew in plan view-two armatures eachdiffering in peripheral configuration from the armature illustrated in Figure 2.

rThe toy as illustrated in' the drawings comprises a frame a having a weighted base n Z) adapted to restfsecurely upon the topy c' of a gramophone-casing in a position adjacent to the usual horizontal turntable d which 1 serves to carry yand impart rotation to a record-disc e; the upper part of the frame a supporting a stationary Horizontal table for" non-magnetic material such as `sheet brass, whilst an upright magnetized'spindle g is mounted to revolve inbearings in the base and table f as indicated.

'if-in armature 1172, of magnetic-material, such as thin sheetiron or' steel for example, is adapted to rest upon and slide easily, with a minimum of frictionalresistance, over the surface ofthe table and in Contact with the n upper end of the spindle g which projects a -short distance above the table; the armature 7L being adapted to support a ligure y" (such for example as a pair of waltzing partners, as indicated) formed of stiii paper or other similar light-material; for which purpose the armature may have, as'shewn, Aa pair of tongues It stamped-up to receive and clip the lower edge of the figure y' between them. VV hen the edge of the armature 7L is brought into contact withthe periphery of the spindle g it will adhere thereto by magnetic attraction, so that, upon the spindle being caused to revolve about its vertical axis, they armature will slide continuously over the table f with a movement whereof the direction will change continually or from time to time as determined by the peripheral configuration of the armature It itself; the adhesion between the armature and spindle'remaining unbroken, whilst the speed at which tion of the armatures thearmature is thus moved is dependent upon the speed of revolution, and the relative diameter, of the spindle' g. The shapes of the individual armatures shewn in F igures 2, 3 and 4L are severally adapted to give to a figure or figures such as illustrated inv ures j the' appearance of reversing their` step at intervals.

hor the purpose of transmitting rotation :from the turntable al to the spindle g, the latter has lined concentrically upon it a horizontal disc m Whereon a disc 0v of cardboard (or other suitable non-magnetic material) is adapted to rest by gravity; thedisc 0 being centrally apertured to give free passage to the spindle g in such mannerthat the disc o can not only turn but also slide or cant relatively to the spindle. lWhen the frame a is set upon the top c ot the phonograph-casing ina suitable position adjacent to the turntable d, and the loose or floating disc o is allowed to rest, towards opposite sides of the spindle upon the margin of the turntable (or, as in the example illustrated, upon the marginv of the record e) and upon that of the fixed disc m respectively, then, if the turntable al be set in motion, a continuous rotary movement Will be transmitted through the floating disc o to the disc m and spindle g, with the result that the iigures j carried by the armature r7a Will move with the latter over the table f and in so doing Will performevolutions determined by the peripheral shape of the armature.

As vWill be observed on referenceto F igure l, the floating disc o is freey to adjust its position, if necessary by becoming canted out of the horizontal as shown, so as 'to maintain contaetwith both the turntable (Z and fixed disc m notwithstanding consider- Vable variations; in their relative levels; p

representing a. circular Washer loosely centered about the spindle g so as to be adapted to rest continuously upon the loose disc o in all positions of the latter and, by suitably loading said disc, to ensure maintenance of the requisite frictional contact between it and both the turntable d and fixed disc m.

The speed of revolution imparted to the spindle g may be regulated byA moving the frame a, with all the parts carried thereby, towards or from the axis of revolution of the turntable CZ so as to alter the eii'ective length of that radius of the floating disc 0 whereat the latter contacts with and receives motion from the turntable or (as in the eX- ample illustrated) the record e, and thus to adjust the rate at which the evolutions ot' the iigures jare performed, in accor lance with the time of the music produced by the phonograph. ln order to facilitate such adjustment, it is found advantageous to form 'the floating disc 0 with a depressed annular margin r so that, by approaching the trame a sufficiently close to the edgeof the turntable d (or record e), said edge may in effect be made to contact with the under side of the disc o at more than a single point, a slight but variable braking-effect beingl thus produced Which in practice is found to increase with the extent to which the disc 0 overlaps the turntable or record.

We claim l. A mechanical toy for use in combination with a phonograph of the disc-record type, comprising a Weighted frame, a stationary horizontal table of non-magnetic material carried thereby, an upright magnetizedspindle mounted to revolve in bearings in said frame, the upper end of said spindle projecting through an aperture in the table, a disc fixed concentrically upon the spindle, a floating disc of non-magnetic material centrally apertured so as to give free passage to. said spindle and to be adapted to rest upon the margin both of said fixed disc and also of a phonograph-turntable. an armature of magnetic material adapted to rest upon and slide easily over the surface of said table, and a figure carried by said armature, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. A mechanical toy as claimed in claim l, wherein the floating disc has a central aperture of a diameter sutlicient to permit of said disc becoming canted relatively to the axis of the upright magnetized spindle so as tobe adapted to transmit motion from the phonograph turntable to the disc fixed eoncentrically upon said spindle, when said :fixed disc is at a level different from` that of the turntable.

3. ln a. mechanical toy as claimed in claim l.,-the combination with the floatingdisc, of a Washer looselyy centered about the upright magnetized spindle of the toy so as to rest by gravity upon saiddisc, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

.4. A mechanical toy as claimed in claim 2, wherein the floatingdisc is formed with a. depressed annular margin, substantially as as for the purpose set forth.

5. In a mechanical toyfor use with a phonograph, a revoluble spindle, a toy carrying member operated by the spindle, a iioating disk loosely mounted on the spindle so as to tilt and adapted to engage the turntable of a phonograph, and means on the spindle and disk loosely and tiltingly mounted on the cooperating With'the tilted disk to rotate the spindle and adapted to engage the phonospindle. graph turntable and the fixed disk when n a 10 6. In a mechanical toy for use with a. photilted position.

nograph, a revoluble spindle, a toy carrying member operated by the spindle, a disk fix- HERBERT JOSEPH HASTINGS. edly secured to the spindle, and a floating CHARLES ST. VINCENT SMITH. 

